Love Like Winter
by Dreamlights
Summary: Infatuation and love are two entirely different things...


**Disclaimer: As much as I wish I did, I do not own Artemis Fowl. The lyrics in this songfic are from the song **_**Love Like Winter**_** by A.F.I. **

I really don't know about this one. It took me forever, and yet I find the fruits of my labor not as sweet as I had hoped. Ah well, here it is anyways. R&R, and please leave me constructive criticism. I know the ending is super-retarded - I was running out of ideas. :/

* * *

_Warn your warmth to turn away_  
_Here it's December every day  
Press your lips to the sculptures and surely you'll stay  
For of sugar and ice, I am made_

It was almost strange, how utterly impenetrable he was, but what was to be expected of someone like him? She had known him since his birth, when he was a mere infant, exploring the vast unknown around him with unquenchable curiosity. And now, nearly one score later, he still thirsted for more, growing ever more ravenous with each discovery. That alluring trademark smile of his wasn't his only vampiric trait.

Of course, that curiosity had its limits. Once satisfied, he moved on, never looking back in retrospect at solved puzzles. She had enjoyed his short-lived intrigue in her, the ceaseless exploring and inquisition, but that had vanished like fine mist upon sunrise. His attention no longer averted to her, she was just an ornament now, decorative and beautiful, but useless. But hadn't Artemis always been known to indulge in useless luxuries?

_It's in the blood  
It's in the blood  
I met my love before I was born  
He wanted love, I taste of blood  
He bit my lip and drank my war from years before_

The first time he had fallen for somebody was rather interesting, but he soon grew tired of his previous companion Minerva – she was too alike him, too predictable. Their talk rarely involved romance, and that was the sole interest in mind for him at the time. He wanted to understand the emotion of true admiration, just as he wanted to understand everything he possibly could. Moving along, he had found_her_, and she had gladly quenched his thirst for the knowledge he was seeking. Oh how quickly he had absorbed the facts, treating love like an easily-understood science. He wanted more, to experience everything. And so she fed his famished mind, offering him all she could, as he feasted in lavish.

But the time came all too soon that he unlocked the final obstacle of this strange emotion _love._ She believed in soul mates – he did not. She wanted more, he had enough. Their roles were reversed, and while he found himself glued to the computer once more in a brilliant scheme, she stood nearby only about to hope that he would avert his attention back to her sooner or later. She had been a mere experiment, to offer understanding to a little-explored subject. He left _love_ out in the bitter cold and moved on, only dimly aware of the side-effects of this action. She shivered.

_She exhales vanilla lace  
I barely dreamt her yesterday  
Read the lines in the mirror through the lipstick trace  
"Por siempre," she said,  
"It seems you're somewhere far away"  
To his face_

She studied his pale features – the handsome countenance, the jet black hair, the startling blue and hazel eyes. He wasn't average, far from it. Perhaps that was why he had won her naïve heart so quickly and easily. She knew all too well there was no way she would be able to live up to name of Fowl, she was no longer worthy of his time. His thoughts were elsewhere now, scheming criminal enterprises and dangerous endeavors, grasping concepts much more complex than she. He seemed so out of reach now, lost in his own world. His hands no longer held the imploring curiosity it once had, his lips no longer compassionate and soft, his eyes no longer flickered with emotion. He had promised her "forever", entangling her with his body and a beautiful lie.

_It's in the blood  
It's in the blood  
I met my love before I was born  
She wanted love, I taste of blood  
He bit my lip and drank my war from years before_

He felt not the slightest inkling of guilt, but instead regret - for himself, of course - for not choosing a better significant other. It was rather embarrassing for someone like him, who had always prided in understanding anything that was thrust towards him, to not comprehend his own decisions. Yes, he had contemplated for months before finally proposing, deluded into thinking he was in love with her. But for once, his brilliant mind had misled him – she wasn't worthy, she just wasn't…mandatory. She was like a diamond, lusted after and alluring at first glance, but once obtained showed its true value as only being an object of pride and nothing more, and treasured until its value decreased to the point where it was no longer precious in ones eyes, just a glassy looking stone. Then it would be sold at a ridiculously high price to another misled fool. They say diamonds are forever, but who was _they_, and what influence should they have on him?

_Love like winter  
Love like winter_

She had seen the glimmer behind those eyes fade, slowly sputtering away into oblivion. She knew her time had come and gone; that the romance had always been destined to be short lived. His skin was cold to her touch, his gaze chilling and jaded. Affectionate gestures were but automatic reactions to assure her that she had not been forgotten entirely, but nothing more. The truth was obvious, even she could see it; but yet she clung on, and although she knew would be shaken off sooner or later, she was unwilling, or perhaps unable, to let go. The pale arms that draped around her were oh so generic, and they both knew that. The kisses were mechanical, without a thought, as routine as brushing your teeth. She no longer found mystery in his extraordinary eyes, knowing her search would be greeted with the same dull, distant expression.

_It's in the blood  
It's in the blood  
I met my love before I was born  
He wanted love, I taste of blood  
He bit my lip and drank my war from years before_

Her enormous diamond ring glittered coldly in the light. She didn't know exactly how large or expensive it was, nor did she care. All she knew was that there had been a point where he had loved her enough to buy her such an extravagant present on his will. Memories were so much easier to dwell in. She took off the ring and examined the token of affection, admiring at the way it coruscated and glimmered. Gently clasping his hand, she passed her ring onto his palm. His fingers twitched, though whether or not it was from amusement she could not tell.

"Arty, truthfully, do you still love me?"

His eyes did not avert from the glowing computer screen, but he managed to paste a hazy smile upon his thin lips. Did he love her? He wasn't sure, and did not want to be accused of a lie. He grasped the ring and slid it back onto her fourth finger, squeezing her hand gently before pulling away to finish whatever it was he had been typing, not missing a beat as he replied vaguely.

"Diamonds are forever."

She grinned in silent satisfaction. That was good enough an answer for her.


End file.
